Royals honour the British Legion

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh round off their trip to Northern Ireland today at events with the British Legion and Antiques Roadshow.

The royals, who are staying at Hillsborough Castle, will meet experts from the BBC series and have some valuables assessed as the historic home plays host to the show this week.

The couple will then travel to Coleraine, Co Londonderry, where a reception has been planned in the town hall.

The council will host the event to mark the contribution the Royal British Legion has made to improve the wellbeing of veterans and their families.

Organisers said the purpose of the reception was to show support for the veterans' association throughout Ireland while also launching a programme of activities that will commemorate the start of Britain's involvement in the First World War.

As with a range of recent royal engagements involving Ireland, both north and south, the themes of reconciliation, regeneration and focusing on the future have been to the fore during the Queen and Duke's 21st visit to Northern Ireland.

While past trips have seen the Queen's itinerary closely guarded due to security fears, this week's engagements in the region have been publicised in advance.

The Queen and Duke last visited Northern Ireland in 2012 as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

That occasion proved highly symbolic in terms of the peace process as it marked the first occasion she met Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.